Monday, September 24, 2012

I forgot that one of the reasons that I used to LOVE writing in this blog was to document all of the awesome things my kids say...because, let's face it, their crazy! So here are a few from the last week or so:I forgot that it was brown day at school, and this is the first thing A said to me when I went to pick him up:"mom...it was BROWN day, you forgot! I was the ONLY kid in the WHOLE school that wasn't wearing brown!"...ha ha, I'm sure. I took Roo to spanish this morning, and he was really sleepy, just cuddling me and not paying attention at all. He gave me a HUGE hug and said, "I love you to the TOP of the moon!"...so precious:)Roo constantly walks around saying, "protect the world from evil!!"A told me all about his scary dream last night...it consisted of him trying to fix our van. While he was trying to fix the van, he was standing outside of it and the windows started going up and down, and the seats started going up and down...apparently that was just the scariest thing ever! Roo was downstairs and calling up to A, "Big brother! Big brother!"...and then he told me..."My big brother is up there, and I'm my big brother A's little brother Roo, did you know that?" ha ha...nope, didn't know that one;)Last but not least...this came from his primary class yesterday...Question: Have you ever had to be brave when you chose the right?A's answer: There was never a time I had to be brave. It's always been easy to choose the right because I just always say a prayer to Jesus.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

I may have shed a few tears today...maybe more than a few. All I know is that at the end of the day I am so grateful for wonderful loving friends, crafty distractions and my sweet little A and how well he knows his mamma. He has been SO excited for this day...counting them down really, hoping that one day the seemingly mythical first-day-of-school would actually come, and he would become a BIG kid. That day was today.I've been dreading the day, knowing it would come, and wishing the days to slow down...all summer long. How can it already be that day? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was a precious little sleeping(well, not-so-sleeping) baby? Our kindergarten does "staggered entry" where only a few kids go to school a day, and then come back again a few days later with the whole class. It's supposed to be less overwhelming for them...I think it's really meant for the parents. Staggered entry...so only a few kids and their parents see me at the drop--off, teary-eyed and forlorn...so that I don't get overwhelmed by the masses of children...so that I have a few more days left with my sweet little A before he is gone all the time...Today was sweet. Full of beautiful tender mercies.He woke up early, and was right ready to go, well before he needed to be. Tugging on my shirt, incessantly asking when we could go, bounding out the door as fast as he could and running into his classroom...I could barely keep up with him. He looked so sophisticated in his cute new back-to-school outfit that I had carefully planned. I asked him shoes he wanted to wear with it, and he let me pick out everything, right down to his socks and belt...he knows me so well:) He knew I would love that, and he was so unusually compliant with the whole dressing ordeal. I walked into the school, realizing I had no idea where to go, but first tender mercy of the day was that a friend from church was there...her son in the same class as mine, one of the few kids going today...I followed her, trying to keep calm, and fight back the tears that had been on the verge all morning long. We turned into the hallway, and the second tender mercy appeared..in the form of a great friend waiting beside the classroom door...knowing that I would need support. As soon as I saw her, I teared up again. Third tender mercy of the day...I asked little A if he wanted me to stay for a while. His response, "Only if you need to"...how does this boy know me so well? Know how much I yearned to stay all day, every day? Know how much I would miss him? He is so precious. Fourth tender mercy of the day...being distracted by Roo starting joy-school, forgotten school supplies, quick morning crafts...and a great little cry with a friend on the sidewalk...who was feeling all the same emotions as I. She asked..."does it ever get any easier?"...I knew exactly what she meant...as I kept thinking about what she'd said earlier.."when will leaving this boy ever not tear my heart up?"...and we both had a good cry. I love that my friends are just as sappy as I am:)As I picked him up, he told me about his craft, the "kissing hand". Someone kisses you right on the middle of your palm and then you put it to your cheek. It makes you feel nice and warm inside, and helps you not be scared. I think I may have to use that kissing hand a few times this year. Final tender mercy...as we are filling out his "homework" for the night, a sheet with questions all about his first day...what he was wearing, what he ate, what they did...he filled out:"When kindergarten was over I felt good inside...because my mommy came to pick me up":)So I made it through the day...driving the kids crazy with pictures...fighting back tears...and realizing just how much I love that kid. I made a human...impossible as it may seem...a living, breathing little boy with so much potential...a sweet child of God that is already growing up to be an amazing, compassionate young man. What a day...

The boys all ready for the first day!!

This is what he does when I ask for a happy-to-be-going-to-school smile:)

Well...it's over. I had been feeling for a while that I should just go back to shampoo-ing, as I was not getting the results I had hoped for. I was waiting to do this until I got a nice salon-style healthy shampoo, and not just a junky over-the-counter like I used to use. I figured my hair had probably gotten pretty healthy over the last little while, and I'd like to keep it that way. I have a friend who owns a salon and she was dying to wash my hair, ha ha..it probably grossed her out seeing it every other other day! Lucky for me, I got the full treatment...scalp massage included:)She had to rinse it out for a long time and shampoo it three times! It was pretty full of oil. It did look super healthy though, which has never happened with my hair, so I do think that it really helped in that regard. It just didn't help make it drastically less oily. Better than before though, it doesn't starting getting oily for a couple of days after a shampoo, when it used to be oily daily. So YES, I'm glad I did it. And here's some pictures throughout the process...

A week or so in...before the baking soda rinse...

Right after the baking soda rinse...way cleaner, but not as soft...

Several weeks in...pre-wash

Directly post-wash...

(still baking soda)

Right before the BIG wash...really healthy, but not as soft and natural as I wanted...

Finally...11 or 12 weeks after starting this whole thing...washed and styled...and healthy!!

About Me

5 years ago I married a wonderful man and we now have two adorable boys. I have a degree in psychology, waiting to start my masters, and my husband recently graduated and is working in the financial industry. We hope that, sometime in the near future, we will be blessed to adopt our next child. We love to spend time together as a family and enjoy hosting exchange students from varying countries. I am currently working on getting more into crafts and cooking, in the spare time that I don't have, ha ha.